Contagious
by FurtherAway
Summary: Tugger is a pirate, living with his adored captain aboard ship. A mysterious woman finds her way onto the ship, an equally mysterious little kitten at her side. Tugger is more then pleased with this new development, but can't shake the nagging feeling something worse is underway. (Rating because of Paranoia)And yes, there are some humans involved, but its mainly focused on the cats
1. Chapter 1

Pirates were businessmen; in their own sort of way, and Tugger had found the captain of the ship he called home to be as such. The man was flirtatious, frivolous, much like himself, but found pride in his occupation and crew. The captain had found him in an old pirate's cove, where the booze was cheap and the women were easy, the cat lived off the scraps people threw him and slept usually under a bed that creaked too much above him.

His captain, traded for the cat. Tugger felt pride in knowing that a pirate had wanted him enough to make a honest deal, rather then just steal. He took comfort in the company of the man, and found friendship with the crew. The ship was his home, and that was how he liked it.

It was a stormy mid-summer day. Tugger was gnawing on a mouse he'd caught in the provisions, taking extra care to make sure the captain noticed his hunt. He was upset when the man paid no attention, his eyes trained on the distance as he shouted orders to the men. They were all scrambling about the deck like ants; each having a defined purpose, but all of them together looking like a mess.

Out of curiosity, Tugger stuffed his head through one of the narrow rails along the sides of the ship, getting a view of whatever it was everyone was scrambling over. In the water, was a small dingy. A woman sprawled out inside of it. She was pale and thin, and from what he could make out before the ropes caught onto it, she was not alone. The men heaved and hoed until the boat hovered along side the ship, the crew busily reaching over the rails to pull the girl out.

She was laid down over the deck as someone tried to revive her. Tugger however, kept his interest inside the small boat. He leapt his way up the rails and scaled them until he could peer down into it. There was a tangled mess of rope and nets, some cloth and a few rotted apple cores. Lying beneath some of the nets was something small, black, and jolting about desperately. Tugger let out a loud meow, trying to get the attention of his captain, happy when he was noticed.

The man's reaction to the moving bundle of rope however, was less than what Tugger wanted. The captain reached down gingerly, pulling out a small kitten with one hand, seating it down in the palm of his other hand as he cradled it. "Good find." He smiled, stroking Tugger's head with praise.

The kitten pawed at him hesitantly, and Tugger found that he had no real liking for it. The captain returned to where the woman had suddenly regained consciousness, frightened out of her wits until the kitten was handed to her. She shielded it in her arms as she examined all the men. Tugger watched her draw up into her knees, folding the fabric of her dress so that nothing was exposed.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Tugger moved forward slowly as the men backed up, following the captains orders to give her space. He padded up to the woman's feet, rubbing himself against her leg as a courteous gesture. His captain had better manners then to hurt her, and Tugger counted the woman as lucky for being pulled in by him as opposed to any other pirate. She could have found herself in a lot of trouble.

He purred when she returned his gesture, petting his head with shaking fingers behind the ears, right where he liked it. She was obviously a cat lover, which most likely accounted for her kitten, who was staring at Tugger enquiringly- as if demanding to know why he was rubbing himself against his owner. He shot the kitten a trademark wink before finding his way back to captain's side, hoping this stranger would notice and acknowledge the man.

She did, with shy eyes.

"Are you alright miss?"

When no reply came, Tugger decided to repeat the question to the kitten, "Hey, is she alright?"

The kitten stared at Tugger before nodding, "She's... fine. My mistress just needs rest."

The sophistication surprised Tugger, who's assumed the kit would be less forthcoming, "You speak like a Tom."

"That's because I am.." he replied.

"You're a hell of a tiny Tom then. I had mistaken you for a kitten!" he grinned, ignoring the conversations that had begun amongst the humans.

The strange cat frowned, "My name is Mr. Mistofflees." he informed, lifting his head a little.

Tugger smiled devilishly, "Rum Tum Tugger, but you can call me Tugger."

"Mr. Tugger-"

"Tugger." he interrupted, "Just Tugger. Formalities don't sit well with me."

"Tug-"

Something shifted as the captain helped the woman to her feet, leaning her against his shoulder as she stumbled awkwardly to his cabin. Tugger followed eagerly, watching the Tom eye him from over his mistress's shoulder, meowing adorably. If he really was a Tom, there should be a rule about how queen-like a male could be. The deck creaked beneath their feet noisily. The woman sat herself down on the captain's bed to rest as Mistofflees jumped off her lap, looking over his shoulder as if he regretted leaving her. "So.." Tugger began, finally caught up. "What happened to you two?"

Mistofflees huffed, "My mistress is the daughter of the current Governor, we were sailing to meet her fiancé when we were attacked."

"Attacked?" Tugger pressed, circling the mysterious Tom as he spoke; eyeing him up.

Mistofflees seemed to notice this and stared at him accusingly, "Pirates."

Tugger chuckled, "Pirates?"

"Yes, we were attacked by pirates." Tugger had thought the Tom was referring to him, and was suddenly wondering if the cat knew that he even was one, "My mistress barely escaped with her life. With little supplies she starved, and out of fear she went without sleep." he heaved out a breathy sigh, "I'm just thankful you found us before she wasted away.."

"My captain is a good man. He'll see to it she's nursed."

Mistofflees nodded before letting himself plop down onto the wood boards of the cabin, "I don't suppose you have anything to eat?"

With a grin, Tugger pulled the cat back onto his feet, "Follow me."

Wearily, the tom obeyed, tailing him all the way to the storage hold. Mistofflees watched with fascination as the cat jumped from box to box, working his way up until he landed on top of a barrel. "Alright, the chef is in. What'ya like?"

With a tired smile, Mistofflees replied, "Fish!"

"Comin' up!" Tugger disappeared behind one of the barrels momentarily before Mistofflees let out a surprised yelp, fish pouring over the floor as the barrel was kicked over noisily. "Dinner is served."

With a grin, Mistofflees picked one out, guiltily wondering if Tugger would get in trouble for knowing the supply of fish over. Tugger just grinned and helped himself to one as well, casually making his way back up to the captain's quarters, where he figured Mistofflees would want to stay. It was nice having a cat on board, someone to actually talk to. He loved the captain, but this Tom.. he was fun.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully. The woman, who Mistofflees had started to refer to as Alice, slept. The captain worked, and Tugger continued to show Mistofflees around the ship, sharing his secret cubby holes and favorite hangouts. His favorite of these, was the small notch just under the crow's nest. Thanks to his claws, it was easy for Tugger to scale the mast to reach it, but he resorted to the nets when Mistofflees revealed his own clipped, dull claws.

Mistofflees had spent most of his life living under the Governor's house, not really knowing any other life then the one of luxury, which is why Tugger found it amazing how well he adapted to the sudden change. He'd laughed however, after their meal when Mistofflees had asked where the bath was. After about three minutes of watching Tugger lick himself clean, he finally got it, "Give myself a bath?"

"You're a cat aren't you?" Tugger teased, working the underside of a paw with his tongue, "That's what cats do."

Mistofflees hesitated, staring at his paws accusingly before giving one an experimental lick. He screwed his face in displeasure, making Tugger laugh, "You act as if you've never given yourself a bath before?"

"I've been living in the governor's house since I was a kitten, there's never been a need to. I was always clean, and when I wasn't the maids were told to bathe me..." he informed the Tom, looking down at his paw again in contemplation.

Tugger paid attention, but kept himself occupied with grooming, trying to think of a suitable reply to that. He turned, opening his mouth when he finally found words, but laughter replacing them as he saw the cat. Mistofflees was trying to reach his back with his tongue; a rather impossible task. His tongue was stretched to it's limit, and his face was exploding with strained determination. Tugger pushed himself up, chuckling as he got closer to the cat, nudging him away. "I got it."

"Tugger? What are you-"

The feeling of the Tom's tongue was sudden and made Mistofflees jump. It felt good though, warm and gentle. The buds of Tugger's tongue de-knotted any matted fur and left Mistofflees purring pleasantly. He took his time, slowly licking over the surface of his back and the unreachable crevices of his neck. Somewhere along the line, he'd climbed over the cat, cleaning the parts of his neck and between his shoulder blades with much more ease now that he was nestled comfortably over him. Mistofflees' purring had slowly raised in volume, turning into low, whimpering and suggestive mules. Tugger knew what he was doing, but he was enjoying the way Mistofflees shuddered beneath him too much to draw away.

The grooming was suddenly interrupted by a human hand pushing Tugger away, "No. Get off!"

Tugger came back to reality with a sudden jerk as the woman scooped Mistofflees up off the floor and into her arms. "Bad cat." she scolds, shooing Tugger away with her bare foot as she cradles Mistofflees close to her chest, ignoring the way he's trying to squirm out of her arms. "Go! Shoo!"

Finally giving in, Tugger darts out of the cabin, scrambling slightly as he slips over the newly mopped deck. He tumbles, rolling until his spine collides with the mast rather brutally. "Stupid old croon." he spits, stretching out in attempt to soothe the soreness in his back. "I wasn't hurting him."

Frustrated, Tugger lifted himself, twitching a little when a jolt of pain stung through his spine. Maybe it was broken? He cringed at the thought. He wanted to find the captain. He could use a little loving attention. Tugger wandered the ship, finally coming over the man at the wheel. He meowed loudly at him, satisfied when he received a sideways glance, "Hey Rum. How's the lady? You watching over her well?"

Another frustrated meow. He didn't want to watch over that evil witch. Tugger pressed himself against the captain's leg, swirling his tail around like a tree vine. With a hearty laugh, the man reached one hand down, cupping under his belly before pulling him up and tucking him under an arm. "You know Rum, you make it hard to work." Tugger purred happily, nuzzling into his master's side. "You're like a woman.." he sighed, leaning slightly over the wheel, "So distracting..."

Tugger's purring quieted. Surely his captain wasn't falling for the she-dog? He didn't think highly of her. She was a spoiled governor's daughter who's kitten had never given himself a proper bath in his life. His irritation faded when he thought back to giving the cat a tongue bath. He couldn't remember the last time he'd mated. Sometime that they'd docked in Grandmal, with a cute little Siamese he'd found strolling in one of the back alleys. Tugger frowned. Was he desperate enough to mate with a male? I mean, the Tom was cute and all, but he was more interested in queens. The grooming thing had just been sort of spur-of-the-moment.

He wasn't really interested in the humorous, adorable and vulnerable little Tom...

Was he?


	3. Chapter 3

When Alice had finally given herself away to sleep Mistofflees saw an opportunity. He carefully slipped out from under her arm before jumping gracefully to the floor, his landing exceptional considering the sway of the ship. Gingerly, he crept toward the door, wondering how he'd get out. He wanted to go find Tugger and apologize. His mistress hadn't meant any harm surely, but the position they were in... '

Mistofflees gushed.

What had they been doing anyway? It had started out a simple bath, but quickly Tugger had made him feel exasperated. It was intoxicating, and all Mistofflees wanted to do was roll over and give in. It was a foreign feeling, but he wouldn't have minded feeling it again.

Before the Tom had really had any time to contemplate an escape, the door slowly creaked open. The captain quietly made his way inside, smiling down at Mistofflees when he noticed him and leaning down to stroke his back carefully. "Hey there." he greeted, whispering.

Mistofflees purred at the pleasant sensation and nuzzled the man's leg with his head. "How's the girl doing? Are you looking out for her?" he grinned encouragement before looking up to her sleeping form, "I suppose I'll be sleeping in the chair tonight, hmm?"

Oh, she was in his bed wasn't she. Mistofflees meowed apologetically, making the captain chuckle, "I suppose you want out?"

Mistofflees bounded out the door as soon as the man stepped aside, racing off to find Tugger. He looked back only for a millisecond, noting the way the captain silently shut the door, careful not to wake his mistress. Tugger seemed to trust and look up to this man a lot, so he'd decided to trust him as well. He seemed kind and gentle, and hadn't given Mistofflees any reason to doubt him.

He shinned with triumph when the little tuxedo found his way to the open cargo hold.

Tugger was lounged across a potato sack, claws digging into a spud beneath the burlap as he snored. The sight was kind of adorable, but at the same time, Tugger looked cool. Mistofflees snuck up beside him before nudging his side with the tip of his nose. "Tugger? Tugger wake up."

The cat pawed at his waker with irritation, mumbling incoherent words. So he tried again, pushing a little harder- still nothing. Frustrated, Misto climbed over him, a higher vantage point from the upper side of the bag where the potatoes made him taller. With hesitation, he leaned down, clamping his teeth over the root of the sleeping cat's tail, jolting him awake with a startled yelp. "M-Misto?!"

Mistofflees sat before him, an innocent grin on his face as his tail swished behind him happily, "You wouldn't wake up."

"So.. you chomped on my tail!?"

Tugger pawed at his rear where his tail was attached, caring for it absently as Mistofflees neared him, "I wanted to talk with you."

"Couldn't have waited until sunrise kit?"

"I'm not a kitten!" he frowned, pulling back slightly. "I told you already, I'm a Tom."

Tugger smirked devilishly, "I don't consider any kit a Tom until he's had one hefty night with a queen, if you catch my drift." his devilish manner made Misto huff. "Well? Are you a Tom Misto?"

"Whatever you want." he growled, "And my name is Mistofflees."

"But Misto is cuter, don't you think?" he grinned, leaning closer to lick the tip of the tux's ear.

Mistofflees jolted backward with surprise, raising a paw to his ear, "Wh-what was that for?"

"I just felt like it." Tugger shrugged, licking his paw nonchalantly, "No real reason."

"Well.. Don't do it again."

Tugger grinned, "And if I did?"

Mistofflees directed his gaze at one of the potatoes Tugger had mindlessly clawed up in his sleep, trying to keep himself from blushing. He had no idea how to threaten this cat. Truthfully, he didn't even know if he _wanted_ to threaten him. He lost his train of thought when Tugger came dangerously close, breathing into the ear he'd licked, making the wet fur suddenly cold, "Well?" he questioned, his tone low and seducing.

"Well.. what?"

The cat smirked, nudging a paw closer, "What would you do if I did it again?"

Mistofflees shoulders tensed when Tugger took the tip of his ear into his mouth, sucking down on it gently, careful of his teeth. When he didn't let up, Mistofflees found himself purring against his will, enjoying it more then he meant to, his paws weakly pushing away at the larger Tom's shoulders. "Tugger, stop..." he squeaked, very unintimidating.

The cat pulled away slowly, "You're purring though."

"I can't help what my body does..." he muttered in reply, bowing his head bashfully.

"You woke me up to talk about something right?" Tugger questioned, bumping his nose against Misto's to get his head back up, "Speak."

Mistofflees nodded silently, brushing at his ear to try and wipe away some of the damp fur Tugger had caused; it was cold. "I wanted to apologize for the way my mistress shoed you out earlier..." he began.

"Alice?"

"Hmm." the cat hummed in agreement, "She didn't mean any harm, she just thought you were attacking me."

Tugger nodded with assurance, "I know. I was only annoyed for a little while." he ducked his head casually down below Misto's, licking the fur under his chin, "She interrupted your bath though..." Tugger chuckled lightly before darting his tongue out once more to lap up some of the fur on his neck.

"Am.. I really dirty?"

The small tux watched with a mix of nervousness and anticipation as Tugger lifted his head, licking the space in between Mistofflees' eyes. "Not terribly, but you could still use a bath." he paused for a moment to stare the Tom in the eyes, "Unless you want me to stop?"

Bashfully, the cat shook his head, "No.. if.. you think I need a bath then.. I really should.."

Tugger's grin was sinful. "Alright then, but I'm warning you," he pulled himself closer, so that Mistofflees could feel his body heat, "I won't stop this time. Not even if your lady comes in and beats me off with a broom."

Mistofflees chuckled lightly, "She's sleeping in the captain's quarters.."

Dipping his muzzle, Tugger licked a patch of fur along Misto's jawline, smiling with triumph when the Tom started to purr softly. Tugger worked at the kit's fur madly and with determination, like it was his sole mission to lap up ever strand of hair. By the time he'd started to work on the back, Mistofflees was purring loudly and mewling lightly. The large Tom pinned the tux to the burlap gently on his stomach; caging him with his body. Mistofflees whimpered lightly when Tugger held a paw to his waist, holding him still as he nuzzled the back of his neck, purring himself with the pleasure of hearing his rewarding mewls.

Mistofflees stiffened when he felt the Tom's tongue trail down his back, slowly descending until it paused to lap around the base of his tail before his teeth settled down with a light chomp. Mistofflees would have jerked away, but the paw on his hip kept him still. It didn't hurt as much as it surprised him, in fact it had almost been pleasant. Tugger started from the base and licked up his tail; only once, teasing the kit. "You're starting to sound like a queen in heat." he chuckled.

Mistofflees groaned suggestively, making Tugger pause. He flipped Mistofflees onto his back suddenly, staring him down, as if studying his face. The tux stared back at him, lidded eyes and heavy breaths. He was excited. Tugger nudged the cat gently, earning another whine, "Tugger, you're.. a tease."

The Tom grinned maniacally, "So I've been told."

"..Do you play with queens often?"

Tugger stretched out over him, letting his body weight fall over the smaller Tom, "Don't start this." he began, "Queens do it for attention all the time. You're not my first, no." Gently, Tugger licked his forehead, "Doesn't mean I don't have feelings for you. Everyone has a past."

Mistofflees seemed quiet for a short time, "I.. suppose.."

"Don't tell me you're a virgin?"

Misto blushed, forcing his face away, "I've never been outside the governor's home, and the only cat we've ever had there was Victoria." he laughed half heartedly, "She's mated to an alley cat named Plato."

"So.." Tugger started, processing, "I'm your first?"

"We haven't done anything yet!" Mistofflees protested, catching his words too late.

Tugger grinned devilishly, "Yet?"

"Shut up." he frowned, batting the Tom off of him, "Don't laugh at me."

Smiling, Tugger rolled off, but didn't let go. He pulled the little tux into his arms, "I'm not laughing," of course, he was chuckling as he said this.

Mistofflees pushed weakly at his chest, trying to make some sort of effort to pretend to be offended, "Stop it."

"It's fine like this, isn't it? I won't do anything, but I'm tired, and was kicked out of the cabin." Tugger nuzzled his face into the Tom's fur, "Stay here."

Bravely, Mistofflees laid a gentle lick on Tugger's forehead before snuggling with him. It was warm, and Tugger arm's were protective; making it easy to fall asleep. He'd been a little scared when they first boarded the ship, but now..

All he wanted to do was stay. "You don't have to ask.."


End file.
